Benign weather to lift Indonesia coffee crop to record high

Indonesia’s coffee industry is poised for a marked revival in fortunes, with production to hit a record and exports to soar 29%, US officials said, even as El Nino overshadows prospects for next season.

After a harvest last year hurt by heavy rains which disturbed pollination – and a 2013 crop marred by unduly hot and dry weather during flowering and excessive rainfall during the fruiting period – Indonesian coffee growers have enjoyed improved conditions, the US Department of Agriculture’s Jakarta bureau said.

“Key production areas” have seen “favourable weather during flowering and cherry-ripening periods,” the bureau said, although rains into early this month, when harvest begins, may have caused some quality damage.